Have you heard the latest news? Many people are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is important since it assists your body in absorbing calcium, which strengthens bones and helps prevent osteoporosis. Recent research also suggests that vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
If you are eating a proper diet, and/or taking supplements, you should be getting enough vitamin D. And there is another source readily available to us – the sun. The body makes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun. The important part is the skin should NOT have sunscreen on it since sunscreen does block the body’s ability to make vitamin D.
And that is the opposite advice we’ve heard for years – always protect your skin with sunscreen when going outside.
So what do you do? Can you get vitamin D benefit from the sun AND keep your skin safe?
Yes you can – but you must be careful.
The recommendation for getting vitamin D from sun exposure is 10-15 minutes of sun three times a week. Just make sure you don’t stay in the sun longer than that, and if you are planning a day outdoors, apply and reapply sunscreen often.
You should apply sunscreen 30 minutes before exposure to allow time for it to be absorbed into the skin. One option is to apply it 15 minutes before exposure, getting you the sunlight for a few minutes, then having the protection you need after that.
We’ve got plenty of sun available these days, so be smart and take advantage of a few minutes here and there to give your body more vitamin D. Then, apply plenty of sunscreen and protect it from the damaging UV rays.
These tips are not sexy, not new, not the latest, but they are the greatest, and they work – if you use them consistently.
1. Move More, Watch Less.
Successful weight losers exercise daily for up to an hour. They have time to do that because they average only 10 hours of TV watching a week. Even if you have to do it in short bursts, get your exercise in every day.
2. Spread your calories throughout the day.
Eat breakfast, and then eat every few hours afterward so that you eat 5-6 times each day. That keeps you from getting too hungry, and you avoid all of the temptations that come with that starved feeling. Also, it keeps your metabolism up since you are digesting food all day.
3. Re-Train yourself.
Our sense of portion size is all messed up. Learn what true portion sizes are and how to estimate them. Use your hand: 1 cup = 1 fist, 1 meat = 1 palm, 1 cheese = 2 fingers, 1 oil = 1 thumb tip. Also, re-train yourself to eat slowly. You’ll enjoy your food more and feel full sooner.
4. Fill Up on Fiber
Foods that are high in fiber are generally low in calories and fat, have larger portion sizes, fill you up quicker, slow digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and control hunger. Examples of these foods include fruits, vegetables, beans and soups. Try for 25-35 grams of fiber a day.
5. Watch Yourself
Keep track of your key indicators such as weight, calories and exercise. Weigh yourself once a week in the same circumstances. Monitor how your clothes fit daily. Chart your exercise daily. Keep a record of what, when, and how much you eat. Over time, these may be less necessary, but remember that most people underestimate their intake and overestimate their exercise.
Like I said, nothing new, just the basics, proven to work over time. So, Just Do It.
It’s a new year and most people are focused on making their lives better. For many, that includes losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle.
If you would like some help with that try the SUCCESS formula. It has been derived from the habits of people who have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for over a year. Begin now adding them into your life and see what your results are.
Selections
Choices are critical. Choose carefully which diet to try, which foods to eat daily, how much to eat, what portion size is appropriate, which liquids to drink.
Unplug yourself from the TV
Successful weight managers watch TV for an average of less than 10 hours a week. If TV is not your problem, what other sedentary activity is? Gaming? Web surfing? Reading?
Commitment
Managing weight is a lifetime commitment. Relapses will happen. Commit to the long term.
Calories
Limiting calories is the bottom line, so be sure the calories you eat are high-quality – lean protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, nutritious low calorie liquids.
Exercise
Successful weight managers exercise for 1 hour a day.
Schedule
Make appointments with yourself to exercise, eat 5-6 small meals a day (preferably earlier in the day), watch your high priority TV shows only, and do the other things needed to support your new lifestyle.
Self-Monitoring
Weigh in weekly in the same circumstances. Keep a record of eating, exercising, TV time, and any other activity that supports your new lifestyle. Have someone else (trainer, coach) review those logs regularly and keep you accountable. Yes, it is a pain but it works!
These are the factors that have been PROVEN to work. So lets get going!
It’s the holiday season, and a time of joy and celebration. It is also time for one year to turn into another, and for us to reflect on all we have to celebrate, and what has happened the past 12 months.
Thank you for being part of the Healthy Habits family. Whether you come in several times a week or every few months, we are delighted to have you around. We hope we have helped you improve your fitness in 2010, and are looking forward to helping more in 2011.
Thank you for reading this blog, our monthly newsletter, and our Facebook page. We try to communicate a variety of information through these sources, and we hope you find them helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment, or talk to me directly, with any suggestions you might have.
We hope you are able to find time to enjoy family and friends over the next few days, indulge in a few special treats, and make time to rest and relax.We look forward to seeing you all back at Healthy Habits Fitness next week and in the new year!
Want my advice on how to stay relatively healthy during all the holiday parties and events. DON’T GO! Just kidding – that’s not healthy either – too depressing. Instead, here’s a list of my ways to enjoy the season without having too heavy a price to pay in January.
1. Drinks. You know what I’m going to say. Alcohol itself is just empty calories, plus whatever you might mix it with could add a lot more calories and fat. If you drink a little too much, your inhibitions go down and then you’re likely to eat more and worse. If you drink a lot too much, who knows what you might do? One strategy to consider is alternating an alcoholic drink with a water. Then you have a drink in your hand but not the danger. And water fills you up.
2. Location. Like in real estate, locating yourself at a party is all-important. Stay AWAY from the food and the bar. Stay NEAR other people and engage them in conversation. Meet new people. Avoid getting bored – you’ll eat or drink or both to fill the void.
3. Ambience. Pay attention to the cues. Music, table setting, behavior, and other things make a big difference. Is the food presented as a nice buffet or a trough? If it’s a trough, even more reason to stay away. You are not obligated to try everything.
4. Prepwork. Do some pre-eating so you’re not hungry when you arrive, especially if you know the event will be a feeding frenzy. Do not skip meals the day of an event – you don’t want any excuse to overeat. Drink plenty of water beforehand.
5. MOVE! Keep as active as you can. Passing out on the couch may be a tradition but it’s not a necessity. Take a post-dinner stroll instead – you’ll feel better.
6. Realism. Breaking even on the scales during the holidays is a great thing. Save the weight loss goal for January. Have fun, don’t deprive yourself, but don’t abandon all reason either.
OK. I said what I had to say. Now I’m going to get drunk and break all the rules I just gave you. NOT!
In 2009, Americans spent $1.6 billion on weight loss supplements. Two recent studies presented to the International Congress on Obesity show that they wasted their money. Each of the studies looked at 9 different popular weight loss supplements.
One study compared the results of a placebo to results from using L Carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, Guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fibre pills, sodium alginate formulations, and selected plant extracts. All groups averaged between 1 and 2 kgs of weight loss, including the placebo group.
The second study was a systematic review of the clinical trials of nine supplements – chromium, picolinate, ephedra, bitter orange, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, guar gum, glucomannin, chitosan, and green tea. It found no evidence of weight loss compared to the placebo.
Conclusion: Take the money you spend on useless supplements and spend it instead on healthy habits like good nutritious food and exercise.
This article appeared in the July 2010 issue of the Healthy Habituator, our monthly email newsletter. If you want it delivered to your inbox each month, enter your email in the Newsletter box on the left.
The 4th of July weekend is coming, and many people are making plans to be outside. Good for them! Getting out of the house and office can be a great mental and physical break. However, make sure you don’t forget food and activity safety. Here are some links with great information:
Many people will spend a lot of time outside this weekend. Here’s some tips to help avoid harm from the heat.
There is a lot of information on the internet claiming to help you live a healthier life, but who has time to look through everything they come across? Here are some links to recent articles that we think are interesting. Take a look and see if you agree:
In a previous post, I talked about ways to avoid getting dehydrated. This time, let’s look at the symptoms of mild-to-moderate dehydration, the kind you are most likely to experience.
*Thirst – that’s right, by the time you are feeling thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Your body is trying to conserve water by releasing less of it, and you notice you are thirsty.
*Dark urine – it should be clear, pale, or straw colored if properly hydrated
*Decreased urine output
*Few or no tears
*Sweating may stop
*Sleepiness or tiredness – and children may be less active than normal
*Muscle weakness
*Headache
*Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when standing
You may experience one of these symptoms, or several, and there is no specific order they will occur in. You can become dehydrated any time of the year, but the current weather conditions make it even more likely. If you experience ANY of the above symptoms, begin taking in extra fluid (see this post for suggestions), and try to get to a cool, shady place. If you symptoms do not improve, or if they worsen, seek medical help.
Get plenty of fluid, watch what your body is doing, and avoid getting dehydrated!
Healthy
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